Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of James
Chapter 5: The Prayer of Faith
James 5 closes the letter with a warning to the oppressive rich, a call to patience, and a great promise about prayer. To the rich who hoard and defraud, James thunders, 'weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you,' for 'the hire of the labourers... which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth' to 'the Lord of sabaoth.' To the suffering he counsels patience: 'Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord... for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh,' pointing to the farmer who waits, the prophets who endured, and 'the patience of Job.' He forbids rash oaths, 'let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay,' and turns to prayer for every season: 'Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.' He commends confession, fervent prayer like Elijah's, and the joy of turning a sinner from the error of his way. This chapter shows us patience, prayer, and the God who hears.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of James chapter 5, the final chapter of the epistle. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here James warns the oppressive rich, calls the suffering to patience unto the coming of the Lord, and unfolds the power of prayer, for the afflicted, the sick, and the straying. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Weep and Howl
A warning against hoarding and fraud.
Unto the Coming of the Lord
Wait like the farmer; endure like Job.
The Prayer of Faith
Pray for the sick, anointing in the Lord's name.
Convert the Sinner
Turning one from error saves a soul from death.
Be Patient Unto the Coming of the Lord (James 5:1-11)
James warns the oppressive rich of coming judgment and calls the suffering to patient endurance until the Lord comes, after the pattern of the farmer, the prophets, and Job.
Ye Have Heard of the Patience of Job
"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
Word Study
"be patient," Greek makrothumeo (μακροθυμέω). The word joins makros, "long," with thumos, "temper" or "passion"; it means to be long-tempered, to have a long fuse, to bear patiently and endure without giving up or lashing out. "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord." James calls the suffering not to a passive resignation but to an active, hopeful endurance that stretches all the way "unto the coming of the Lord." His picture is the farmer: "the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain." The farmer cannot hurry the harvest; he plants, and then he waits through the seasons, trusting the rains to come in their time. So the believer, especially under oppression and injustice, is to makrothumeo, to wait with long patience for God to set things right at Christ's return. This same word describes God's own patience toward sinners, His long fuse of mercy that delays judgment to give room for repentance (2 Peter 3:9). And it is the first-listed fruit of the Spirit after love (Galatians 5:22, "longsuffering"). So makrothumeo is the settled, God-like endurance that does not repay evil or despair under trial, but waits in hope, establishing the heart, "for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." Patience is not weakness; it is the strength to keep trusting God through the long season until the harvest comes.
Explanation
James thunders against oppressive wealth: "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl" — their hoarded gold is cankered, and "the hire of the labourers... which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth" in the ears of "the Lord of sabaoth." To the wronged he counsels patience: "be patient... unto the coming of the Lord," like the farmer awaiting "the precious fruit of the earth," for "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." He points to the prophets and to "the patience of Job" as examples, reminding us "the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." God hears the cry of the defrauded, and their vindication is certain.
Gospel Focus
James opens with a scorching word to the oppressive rich, not to all who have wealth, but to those who hoard it and gain it unjustly: "weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you." Their treasure is already rotting, "your riches are corrupted... your gold and silver is cankered," and that very corrosion "shall be a witness against you." They had "heaped treasure together for the last days," storing up wealth while judgment neared. Worst of all, they gained it by oppression: "the hire of the labourers... which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth." God hears the cry of the defrauded worker; the unpaid wages themselves cry out "into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth", the Lord of hosts, of armies, who will avenge. They "lived in pleasure" and even "condemned and killed the just." God sees every injustice, and He will repay. Then James turns tenderly to the suffering believers who were often on the receiving end of such oppression: "be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord." Rather than take vengeance, they are to wait for the Lord's return, when He will right every wrong. He gives the picture of the farmer, who "waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it," trusting "the early and latter rain." As the farmer cannot force the harvest but waits in hope, so believers "stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." Meanwhile they must not turn their frustration on one another, "grudge not one against another... behold, the judge standeth before the door." The Judge is near. James offers three examples of patient endurance: "the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord," who suffered yet endured; those who "endure," whom "we count... happy" (blessed); and supremely "the patience of Job." And Job's story reveals the heart of God: "ye have... seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." Job's suffering ended in God's mercy, showing that the Lord who allows trials is full of compassion. So the oppressed are not to despair or retaliate, but to wait with patient, hopeful endurance for the coming of the Lord, who hears the cry of the wronged, judges the oppressor, and is Himself full of pity and tender mercy.
The Prayer of Faith Shall Save the Sick (James 5:12-20)
For every season, James turns to prayer: prayer in affliction, praise in joy, anointing and the prayer of faith for the sick, and the rescue of those who stray.
Anointing Him with Oil in the Name of the Lord
"But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."
Word Study
"anointing," Greek aleipho (ἀλείφω). The word means to anoint, to rub or smear with oil; it was a common act of care, refreshment, and, as here, of prayer for healing. "Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." James gives a plain, Apostolic pattern for the sick believer: call for the elders, let them pray, and let them anoint with oil. The oil is not magic, nor is the healing in the oil itself; the healing comes from God in answer to "the prayer of faith." The oil is an outward token, a visible sign of the Spirit and of being set apart to God for His healing touch. And notice the crucial phrase: the anointing is done "in the name of the Lord." Everything is done in that saving name, the name of the Lord Jesus, in whom all the fullness of God dwells. It is the same Apostolic pattern seen throughout Acts, where healing, baptism, and every mighty work are done in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:6; 4:10). So the healing of the sick is not a ritual of oil but an act of faith and prayer in the name of the Lord, who alone raises up. James promises much: "the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up," and even joins it to forgiveness, "if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." So aleipho marks the tender, faith-filled ministry of the church to its sick: elders praying, oil applied as a sign, and all done in the name of the Lord, trusting Him to heal and raise up.
Explanation
James closes with a cluster of pastoral counsels centered on prayer. Let your word be plain — "let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay." "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray"; joyful, sing; "is any sick? let him call for the elders... and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil," for "the prayer of faith shall save the sick." Confess your faults and pray for one another, "for the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" — witness Elijah, a man "subject to like passions as we are," who prayed and shut the heavens. And the last word is restoration: to "convert the sinner from the error of his way" is to "save a soul from death."
Gospel Focus
James closes his letter with a burst of practical instruction centered on prayer. First, a word on integrity: "swear not... but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay." A believer's plain word should be so trustworthy that oaths are unnecessary. Then James maps prayer onto every season of life: "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms." In sorrow, pray; in gladness, praise; God is to be sought in every condition. Then he turns to sickness with a clear Apostolic pattern: "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." The sick believer calls the elders; they pray and anoint with oil, and, crucially, all is done "in the name of the Lord." And the promise is bold: "the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." The power is not in the oil but in the Lord, answering faith-filled prayer, and He heals both body and, where needed, the soul. James broadens it to the whole church: "confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed." Open confession and mutual prayer bring healing. And he assures us that such prayer is mighty: "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." To prove that ordinary believers can pray such prayers, he points to Elijah: "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are", a man just like us, with the same weaknesses, "and he prayed earnestly," and heaven obeyed, first withholding rain for three and a half years, then giving it again. If God heard a man of like passions with us, He will hear us. Finally, James ends not with himself but with a call to rescue the straying: "if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him... he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." To turn a wandering soul back to God is to save a life from death, the highest work of love. So the letter that has demanded a living, working faith ends fittingly on its knees: praying in affliction, praising in joy, calling the elders and anointing the sick in the name of the Lord, confessing and interceding for one another, and going after those who stray, all in the confidence that the fervent prayer of God's people avails much.
Chapter 5 in Review
James 5 ends the letter with warning, patience, and prayer. To the oppressive rich: "weep and howl for your miseries," for the wages "kept back by fraud" cry "into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth." To the suffering: "be patient... unto the coming of the Lord," like the waiting farmer, the enduring prophets, and "the patience of Job," for "the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." Then prayer for every season: "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray... Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up." James commends confession, fervent prayer like Elijah's, and the saving of a soul by turning "the sinner from the error of his way."
For the Apostolic reader this closing chapter is rich with practical faith. It warns that God hears the cry of the defrauded and will judge oppression, and it calls the wronged not to vengeance but to patient endurance until the Lord comes, resting in a God "very pitiful, and of tender mercy." And it gives the church its pattern for the sick: call the elders, pray in faith, anoint with oil "in the name of the Lord", the saving name of Jesus, in whom the fullness of God dwells, trusting the Lord to heal and raise up, and to forgive. It shows that ordinary believers, "subject to like passions" as Elijah, can pray prayers that avail much. And it ends with the church's mission of rescue, going after the straying to save a soul from death. So we wait patiently for the Lord's coming, we pray in every season, we minister to the sick in Jesus' name, we confess and intercede for one another, and we seek to turn wanderers back to the truth, trusting the God who hears the fervent prayer of His people.
- God hears the cry of the defrauded and will judge oppression (5:1-6).
- "Be patient... unto the coming of the Lord," like the farmer and Job (5:7-11).
- "Let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay" (5:12).
- Pray in affliction, sing in joy; call the elders for the sick (5:13-14).
- "The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up" (5:15).
- Turning a sinner from error "shall save a soul from death" (5:20).
Questions for Reflection
- Are you waiting on the Lord with patient endurance, or repaying wrong with wrong?
- Do you turn to prayer in affliction and to praise in joy?
- Do you call for prayer and anointing "in the name of the Lord" when sick, trusting Him to heal?
- Is there someone straying from the truth whom you could seek to turn back?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. Warning to the oppressive rich; God hears the defrauded: James 5:1-6; Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14-15; Luke 12:16-21. Patience unto the coming of the Lord; Job and the prophets: James 5:7-11; Hebrews 10:36-37; Job 42:10-12; Matthew 5:11-12. Prayer, anointing the sick, and healing in the name of the Lord: James 5:12-16; Mark 6:13; Acts 3:6; Matthew 5:37. Elijah's fervent prayer; rescuing the straying: James 5:17-20; 1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 18:42-45; Galatians 6:1. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Warning to the oppressive rich; God hears the defrauded: James 5:1-6; Deuteronomy 24:14-15.
- Be patient unto the coming of the Lord; Job and the prophets: James 5:7-11; Hebrews 10:36-37; Job 42:10-12.
- Prayer and anointing the sick in the name of the Lord: James 5:12-16; Mark 6:13; Acts 3:6.
- Elijah's fervent prayer; turning the sinner from error: James 5:17-20; 1 Kings 18:42-45; Galatians 6:1.